The Tinder Swindler: A classic catfish tale with an extreme twist
The true-crime documentary was released on Wednesday 2nd February on Netflix. The documentary recounts the story of three women who were victims of a scam artist they met on Tinder, two of which believed they were in a long-term relationship with the perpetrator.
Imagine going to meet a swanky guy at a hotel bar in London: a spontaneous tinder date arranged hours before. Later that evening, you’re on a private jet to Bulgaria for a business meeting eating caviar and drinking Champagne. Cecilie Fjellhøy, who considers herself a Tinder expert after being on the app for seven years, did exactly that.
Simon Leviev is the son of billionaire diamond tycoon, Lev Leviev. Or so he says. He has many enemies that track him and his entourage. Because of this he must stay off the grid, taking generous loans from supportive friends and multiple girlfriends to maintain his billionaire lifestyle without being traced . Reportedly these loans amounted to around £7.4 million, which are of course still outstanding.
The alarming scale of Simon’s deception unravels throughout the film as we meet two further victims, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte. Luckily, these two cottoned on to Simon’s lies sooner rather then later and concocted a scheme to recuperate some of their money and expose the conman.
Since the series aired, Simon even took to his since deleted Instagram account to announce his plans to clear his name. ‘I will share my side of the story in the next few days when I have sorted out the best and most respectful way to tell it, both to the involved parties and myself. Until then, please keep an open mind and heart,’ he wrote. Despite proclaiming his innocence, Simon’s now been banned from all dating apps.
The documentary has hit the Top 10 on Netflix in 92 countries. It is, at the time of writing, No.1 in the UK, with Simon’s cryptic announcement ensuring the curiosity surrounding him won’t be dying down any time soon.
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